List of African cultural groups
.]] Ethnic groups in Africa number in the hundreds, each generally having its own language (or dialect of a language) and culture. Many ethnic groups and nations of Sub-Saharan Africa qualify, although some groups are of a size larger than a tribal society. These mostly originate with the Sahelian kingdoms of the medieval period, such as that of the Igbo of Nigeria, deriving from the Kingdom of Nri (11th century). Overview The following ethnic groups number 10 million people or more: *Arab, up to ca. 100 million, see Demographics of the Arab League *Berber ca. 65 million *Hausa in Nigeria, Niger, Ghana, Chad, Cameroon, Cote d'Ivoire and Sudan (ca. 30 million) *Yoruba in Nigeria and Benin (ca. 30 million) *Oromo in Ethiopia and Kenya (ca. 30 million) *Igbo in Nigeria and Cameroon (ca. 30 million)Sources vary widely about the population. Mushanga, p. 166, says "over 20 million"; Nzewi (quoted in Agawu), p. 31, says "about 15 million"; Okafor, p. 86, says "about twenty-five million"; Okpala, p. 21, says "around 30 million"; and Smith, p. 508, says "approximately 20 million". *Fula in Guinea, Nigeria, Cameroon, Senegal, Mali, Sierra Leone Central African Republic, Burkina Faso, Benin, Niger, Gambia, Guinea Bissau, Ghana, Chad, Sudan, Togo and Côte d'Ivoire (ca. 27 million) *Akan in Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire (ca. 20 million) *Amhara in Ethiopia (ca. 20 million) *Somali in Somalia, Djibouti, Ethiopia and Kenya (ca. 15-17 million) *Hutu in Rwanda, Burundi, DR Congo (ca. 16 million) *Ijaw in Nigeria (ca. 14 million) *Mandinka in The Gambia, Guinea, Mali, Sierra Leone, Cote d'Ivoire, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Liberia, Guinea Bissau, Niger, Mauritania, Chad (ca. 13 million) *Kongo in Democratic Republic of the Congo, Angola and Republic of the Congo (ca. 10 million) *Shona in Zimbabwe and Mozambique (ca. 10 million) *Zulu in South Africa (ca. 10 million) The official population count of the various ethnic groups in Africa has, in some instances, been controversial because certain groups believe populations are fixed to give other ethnicities numerical superiority, such as in the case of Nigeria and the Igbo people. The same is true in Senegal as well as The Gambia. The Wolof people, Toucouleur people and Lebou people all trace their descend to Serer people and are therefore not an independent ethnic group particularly the Wolof. Yet the Wolof are seen as the largest ethnic group in Senegal and third largest in The Gambia. Other ethnic groups who have assimilated with the Wolof are counted as Wolof when in fact, they are not. Certain organisations are pushing this generally referred to as Wolofization.Ebou Momar Taal. "Senegambian Ethnic Groups: Common Origins and Cultural Affinities Factors and Forces of National Unity, Peace and Stability". 2010Cheikh Anta Diop. Nations nègres et culture: de l'antiquité nègre égyptienne aux problèmes culturels de l'Afrique noire d'aujourd'hui. 1954Makhtar Diouf. Sénégal, les ethnies et la nation. Nouvelles Éditions Africaines du Sénégal. Dakar. (1998).African Census Analysis Project (ACAP). University of Pennsylvania. Ethnic Diversity and Assimilation in Senegal: Evidence from the 1988 Census by Pierre Ngom, Aliou Gaye and Ibrahima Sarr. 2000 List Central Africa East Africa Horn of Africa North Africa Southern Africa West Africa See also *Demographics of Africa *African people *Indigenous peoples of Africa *Ethnic groups of North Africa *Bantu peoples *Languages of Africa References Ethnic groups List